


Joy to You, Baby

by SafetyThirst



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, ben is an idiot, breakup songs, hux is kind of decent?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-04-21 23:33:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14295858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SafetyThirst/pseuds/SafetyThirst
Summary: Rey stormed out during a fight. Ben thought that meant they had broken up so tried his best to move on. Ben is an idiot. He gets an A for effort, though.





	Joy to You, Baby

She closed the door. He knew what that meant.

Ben is heartbroken for a few months. He wallows in his own misery. Doesn’t pick up his phone, blocks her number, deletes his social media (which is quick because he only has Facebook and hasn’t posted since 2009). He doesn’t even talk to their mutual friends. He can’t take it.

He goes to parties every other night with his buddy from work. Hux is a worm, but still Ben knows his work-home-sleep-repeat routine isn’t going to fix his Big Sad. It helps a little; he starts writing again. He’s always been shit at poetry, but this one feels different.

 _I go to the parties_  
_Throw my hands in the air_  
_I drink what they pour me_  
_The cups of who cares_  
_Go up in the night sky_  
_Up in the clouds_  
_Fly over the houses_  
_Im looking down_

He finds a ragged guitar in a second-hand store, then finds a melody.

 _There’s pain in whatever_  
_We stumble upon_  
_If I never had met you_  
_You couldn’t have gone_  
_But then I couldn’t have met you_  
_We couldn’t have been_  
_I guess it all adds up_  
_To joy to the end_

Hux surreptitiously records it when Ben plays it at a quiet party and posts the video to YouTube; then the sneaky bastard sends it to Rey.

 _Joy to the many_  
_And joy to the few_  
_And joy to you baby_  
_Joy to me too_  
_Tonight, tonight, tonight_  
_Tonight, tonight, tonight_  
_Tonight, tonight, tonight_

She appears at one of the cafes in the neighborhood where Hux had convinced Ben to show up at open mic nights. He spots her near a table in the back and stutters on the lyrics. She is gripping the strap of her bag and has that look on her face…

He misunderstood everything…

When he finishes his set, he approaches her with shoulders hunched and eyes down, making himself seems smaller to beg forgiveness. “I thought this was over. I thought you were done.”

“No, idiot. You wouldn’t answer your phone.”

[Song and lyrics by Josh Ritter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV7mki8GhYA)

**Author's Note:**

> Please take a moment to listen to the song. The link is to YouTube, but it should be available anywhere. I really let my mind drift while listening to Josh Ritter's music. This was written about his own divorce. He has such a mastery of lyrics and is a wonderfully rich storyteller that it's easy to paint the scene in my mind. (So easy that I genuinely thought he had a music video for it, but I can't find one.)
> 
> I wanted to edit this some because I'm not thrilled with the ending, but I also don't know how to make it better. Eh, whatever.


End file.
